When running MariaDB in a server environment it is almost always desirable to have MariaDB start automatically when the server is powered on, for it to stay running while the server is running, and for it to be shutdown gracefully when the server is shut down.

There are several different methods to start or stop the MariaDB Server process. There are two primary categories that most of these methods fall into: starting the process with the help of a service manager, and starting the process manually.

When the MariaDB Server process is started with a service manager, you have the ability to tell the service manager to start the server process on boot. The way that this is done would depend on the specific service manager being used.

Service Managers

sysVinit and systemd are the most common service managers. Upstart is a less common service manager.

Systemd

RHEL/CentOS 7 and above, Debian 8 Jessie and above, and Ubuntu 15.04 and above use systemd by default.

For information on how to start MariaDB automatically with this service manager, see systemd: Starting the MariaDB Server Process on Boot.

SysVinit

RHEL/CentOS 6 and below, and Debian 7 Wheezy and below use sysVinit by default.

For information on how to start MariaDB automatically with this service manager, see sysVinit: Starting the MariaDB Server Process on Boot.

launchd

launchd is used in MacOS X.

Upstart

Ubuntu 14.10 and below use Upstart by default.